I wanted us to have our Order characters on Averheim however. Yes, it’s a high population server, but <Casualties of War> rolls there. That I at least live on the same world as all these big names in mmorpg blogosphere should be really interesting. When they talk about the stuff they’re doing, I might actually be taking part in it as well. (PQ’s/Public RvR for the total win!) (Too bad their recruitment is closed though. ) And, yes, Reikwald was under attack last night.

I was going to talk about heads. The Collector’s Edition comes with a custom “head” for each character. One per. Chaos get their eyes sewn shut with a flap of skin and there’s this unblinking (and totally dead) cyclops eye (or tattoo). I don’t like it. Dark Elves get this big tattoo that looks like someone’s slapped them. Hard. I thought it would look okay, it doesn’t. Goblins get this crazy grin. I swear, my new goblin Shamans face is way more animated than before with that grin on. Or maybe it’s the absinthe. It’s sublime but perhaps my favorite “head.” Humans have this Phantom of the Opera mask. It would be really cool. If it were removeable. But none of those “heads” are removeable. Once installed you’d better like it or start another character. High Elves get this blindfold. I think this is the best, or second best “head” they offer. Dwarf men get a keg of beer in their beards. Makes them look like Saint Bernards. I’m not sure what the women get. I suppose an Octoberfest style dirndl maybe? “You’re supposed to be admiring the head! Look up, why doncha?”

As Altoholics, this is what the wife and I are looking at playing. Me and her.

On the Destruction/Tor Ely.. server: Disciple of Khaine and Sorceress. (She thought I should have named him Marilyn Manson. But my guy looks way cooler, and more fashionable, than Brian Warner. And I’ll definitely need to dye my stuff at least 25 times. And she loved the Sorceress in the trailer.) Chosen and a Zealot to be created. Marauder and Magus. Shaman and a Black Orc maybe. (I’m not sure if the 2nd ugliest race, without a gender, appeals to women though.)

Naturally, there’s one or two other couples yet to arrive to the party.

Last night before I call it a night I get my Disciple to level 5. I do a couple intro quests. I do the Chapter 1 public quest to the point where I get all of Chapter 1’s influence points. And while I do that I join enough Nordenwatch matches to reach level 5 Renown. It took hardly any time, or was so much fun I didn’t really mind the time.

The PvP is fast and furious, yet not twitch, flick, and jump. There’s no “one shots” which is sweet. There are no “It’s a Warlock, game over” classes. I like how they give folks “battlefield ranks” which allows more to compete on a more equal basis than otherwise.

I can’t put my finger on it. But Warhammer Online appeals to me so much more than Lord of the Rings Online did.

Is it the setting? The Lord of the Rings setting starts off mundane. But then so does the Order side. Is it the more ready access to the “dark side” of the Chaos start? Surely the muck goob mountain of the Greenskin starting area isn’t it. And Dark Elves starting zone is the High Elves lands they’re invading.

Can it boil down to just being more engaging at the low level, where a lot of folks find themselves now? Seriously. You won’t want to step foot into Warcraft’s first Battleground until level 16 or 17 at least. And then you will be pwned by professional level 19 twinks dual wielding weapons with executioner and mongoose enchants (or at least fiery), epic armor kits, etc. I.e. it’s no place for the innocent, niave, or casual. But by level 19 in Warhammer, you’ll have already passed through so many battles. You have 3 instanced battlegrounds, with different playstyles, that you can enjoy up to level 11, then another 3 different battlegrounds, with different playstyles again, that you can enjoy up to level 21. You’ll have many RvR areas on the maps that you’ll get to before you reach 21. Those in your race’s starting area, and all those in the other races starting areas too. Is it the War and being able to participate in it? Warcraft offers no rewards, not really, for PvP until you’re max level. There was no new 60 pvp gear when the capped lifted. They just made sets for 70. And it’ll be the same at/for 80. Warcraft seems to require max level to enjoy the game to the fullest. Everything else is just the journey to max level. My Disciple of Khaine was level 3-5 and I was out PvPing. And I was getting killing blows. And I got to gear myself up with PvP rewards. Maybe that’s the difference. Warhammer has more breadth in it’s core content at early levels than Warcraft or LotRO?

But it’s all good. As developer-type folks figure out what appeals, and to maximize the number of people they appeal to, and provides the proper mix at the proper temperature and tempo, the gamers only stand to benefit.